A Heart Mislead
by MissingNin-7
Summary: With her teammates assumed to be dead, Sakura struggles with feelings that she refuses to let go and opening her heart to someone new. SakuSasu.SakuSai
1. Chapter 1

A Heart Mislead  
Disclaimer: Naruto, its characters as well as the story isn't mine. I can never be as creative as Masashi Kishimoto.  
A.N: I have recently changed my pen name so I have decided to go ahead and repost this story.

I haven't written a story in ages... and I really do mean ages so I consider myself old, but new to the fanfiction era again. Hope you all enjoy and I hope to get this rolling in the right direction.

Prologue

It was hard to believe more than a year had passed. Each day went by the same as the other, but it was evident there was something missing from her life. Her heart was empty, void of the warmth and love she had shared for two people. They were gone, never to return to her world. She would never see the blonde who used to fill her life with excitement and annoyance. She would never see the dark haired boy who stole her heart, or dream of a future where she would bear his children and stay by his side until the day she died.

They were gone...

Sakura choked back a sob, her hand quickly flew to cover her mouth. Her body trembled as she watched the man before her engrave two names onto the sleek black monument that held every honorable shinobi's name. She felt an arm gently wrap around her shoulders in support, pulling her against a taller frame. Her quiet companion gave her a squeeze in assurance. She smiled warmly at the silver-haired Jounin beside her before returning her attention to the black marble. Two new names were forever immortalized with hundreds of others.

Uchiha Sasuke  
Uzumaki Naruto

Ever since the day Naruto told her about his true self, the reason why chaos and hatred always seem to surround him, she found herself embracing him as more then just a friend. She loved him like a sister loved her younger sibling and she found herself bound and determined to protect him, just like she was committed to protect the one she loved with her whole heart. Both feared what fate was in store for their lost teammate, it tore at them knowing if they didn't act soon the next time they looked into the eyes of their friend, it wouldn't be him staring back at them.

In the summer of their fifteenth year they traveled together, searching for information to Sasuke's whereabouts. Ever since the hidden village of sound collapsed in a dramatic cave-in, it seemed as though the village had never existed to begin with. A large sum of bodies had been discovered in the rubble, but Orochimaru and Sasuke were nowhere to be found.

Then one day, by pure chance, they crossed paths with the one person they were both wanting to protect. Things hadn't gone the way they had planned, hurtful words were spoken that could never be taken back and blood had been spilled. But in the end Sasuke had returned with them. Either he had seen their reason, or it was for some other purpose they would never know, nor did they care to ask. All that mattered was he was with them, stood by their side and been reliable, even open to them.

Then a year ago, two years after their three man team was reunited, both young men were sent on an important mission that was still classified to this day, and never returned. 

"It's still so hard to believe." Sakura sniffled, wiping at the tears that threatened to spill at any minute.

"We looked everywhere for them, Sakura. The Hokage held off making this official for as long as she could. She, too, had hopes for the both of them."

Sakura quietly agreed with him, and look they did. After Naruto and Sasuke didn't return from their mission by a reasonable time, Tsunade had sent out teams to search for them, to gather any information to their whereabouts. But as the days turned into weeks, and there was still no sign or word from them, people started to assume the worst.

Still not wanting to give up hope, those closest to the boys spent months looking. The Sennin, Jiraiya, concluded that Sasuke was not in Orochimaru's grasp, and the Akatsuki clearly didn't have Naruto. It seemed as though the boys had just vanished until a team on a mission of their own had stumbled upon a site where an intense battle had taken place, there was evidence that Naruto and Sasuke had been there, and the scene had shown signs of unspeakable horror.

With no true proof that either young man had been killed, Tsunade still kept the search going until a year had come and gone...

Sakura stepped toward the rock once the carver had vacated the scene. She reached out, tracing the names of the two she would always love. If she had been there alongside them instead of choosing to stay behind to study for her med-nin exam then maybe they would be there now... alive.

"It's not you fault, Sakura."

She sighed and glanced back at her former Sensei. She had heard that too many times from everyone who knew how her mind worked and she had yet to believe them. She slowly closed her eyes, saying a prayer for both of her friends, hoping that they would hear her and give her the strength she needed to get by the next few days.

"Sakura."

"Hmm?" She opened her eyes and read the boys names over and over, hoping that the letters would somehow scramble around and form another name... hoping that all of this was nothing more then a very bad dream. And that they were all together again, standing here to pay respects to those who had given their lives for them and their village.

"The Hokage wishes to see you later, when you feel up to it."

His voice was a fresh reminder that this was the way things were, that she was here to pay her respects to her teammates. "Thank you, Kakashi-Sensei."

"Will you be alright?"

She smiled warmly, knowing that his heart was in a good place. Kakashi, too, had suffered the loss of his students, his first and only Genin team. "Yes, I'll be fine." She couldn't hold back the surprised gasp when a small delicate pansy appeared before her. Its delicate pink-purple petals blocked her view of the two names she had been staring at so intently.

"I bought you this, in hopes to make you feel better."

"Liar!" Sakura taunted. "You picked it from the ground."

Kakashi cleared his throat, lifting the flower slightly so the roots, still soiled in dark wet dirt, dangled before her eyes. "It's the thought that counts, right?"

She could hear the playful banter in Kakashi's tone. They hadn't had a conversation like this in ages. And for once, in a long time, it felt good. Everything had always been so serious up to this point. She slowly reached up and took the flower, her fingers brushing against his as she took it from him, thanking him once again before he vanished in a plume of smoke.

Sakura gently laid the flower next to the monument never taking her eyes off of the two names that would forever hold a special place in her heart. With one final glance, she turned and walked away from her past, ready to push forward and accept whatever lied ahead of her. She made a vow to become the best shinobi she could, in memory of the two strongest people she knew.

Uchiha Sasuke and Uzumaki Naruto. They were her friends and her loved ones. And she knew she would see them again one day...


	2. Chapter 2

A Heart Mislead

Chapter 1

Two years later...

Twenty year-old Haruno Sakura, dusted herself off as she picked herself up off of the ground. Her body ached all over, dirt was embedded under her nails, her bare legs were scrapped up in various places, but she was having the time of her life. She hadn't had a chance to spar in a long time, then again her usual sparing partner had been away for a few months. Now that he was back she was ready to inflict some pain. Her companion, who most considered a jerk, sneered a nasty remark at her causing her to glare angrily at the young man who stood no more then twelve feet from her. She smirked knowing that he was enjoying himself as well. "Is that all you have?"

"You lost, either you like it or not, ugly." The man retorted.

"Just admit that you resorted to cheating because you were about to get beat by a girl." Sakura watched as no emotion reflected across her companions features. It seemed as though his face had been frozen and never allowed to thaw back out.

"There is no cheating in the ninja arts only skill, if you were adept you would know this. Also, if you were a girl, I would still be fighting you right now. Seeing as your not I thought I would put you in your place."

"You really are a bastard, Sai. I don't know why I even attempt with you sometimes." She turned on her heal, ready to leave when Sai's next words hit her hard.

"Because I'm the only teammate you have left that's not dead."

She closed her eyes, keeping her back to him. A flash of two familiar faces that were slowing fading from her memory went through her mind, she could feel her eyes start to burn of unshed tears. He purposely threw that at her, knowing how badly it would hurt and despite it all, he was right. He was the only connection, besides Kakashi, to former team seven. But it wasn't only that, his uncanny resemblance to her lost love kept her coming back for more. "Yeah, well we can arrange that anytime now can't we?"

"Are you crying?" Sai taunted her. "Are you still contemplating on what could-have-been?"

Sakura whipped around and quickly approached him until she stood just before him, not caring if a tear or two slipped down her cheek. "My past is behind me. Why can't you move on, Sai? You couldn't be jealous, could you?" She stared him in the eye, waiting to see what he would say. Sai had always showed signs of annoyance when ever she brought up her past teammates. He remained quiet, his mask securely hiding any emotion he might be hindering. Standing on her tip-toes she kissed him on the cheek quickly before brushing past him to gather her belongings. She watched him out of the corner of her eye wipe the kiss from his face with a disgusted look. A sense of glee over took her when she finally got him to throw her a angry look, served him right for messing with hr. He never like physical touch unless he was instigating it and she enjoyed torturing him in the worse way possible.

"Does that mean you would like me to come over tonight?"

She froze upon his question, did he just say what she heard him say? She slowly glanced at him seeing as he had his attention on her entirely. There was a look in his eye that she had never seen before, had that been said in a seductive way? She had made a mistake once, allowing things between she and Sai to take a wrong turn. She had invited him over to her place, since he was always alone and no one took the time out of their day to befriend him. She made dinner, things were going pretty well until he came across a few pictures of team seven, excluding him. Sai became his typical self, insult after insult. Sakura felt the need to defend her former teammates and somewhere in the mix of their argument someone had kissed the other, luckily things hadn't gone much further then that. Once they realized what had happened Sai quickly left and neither had brought up the subject since. She wouldn't deny that she was attracted to him on some slim scale. But she would rather kiss Lee then to start anything with a man who would never give a damn about another living thing.

She glared at him, as she carefully placed her few weapons she had used during her sparing match in her weapons pouch. "Don't be a ass, Sai."

"I wasn't trying to be."

She could feel a lump in her throat start to form. What in the world was up with him, could it be possible that he was trying to _"hit on her"_? "I should get going, I have to meet up with Tsunade-sama in a bit."

"Sakura..."

She could see him start to approach her out of the corner of her eye. She could feel her heart start to pace faster, the palms of her hands started to feel sweaty with each step he took. Sai stopped close enough that he was clearly in her personal space upon his own desire to do so. Her eyes widened in response as he firmly grasped her left wrist and leaned closer to her. Her heart felt as though it stopped along with everything else around her.

"Wha...what are u doing?" She stuttered.

"Returning your kiss. I read it was the polite thing to do."

Everything that was logical told her to pull away, to not allow this to go on any further. The complications that could be inflicted upon the both of them if they were to take this kiss the wrong way. But her feet wouldn't budge, and she could hear the inner ramblings of her traitorous mind tell her to _"go for it"_. Her body trembled, but she wasn't sure what was the cause, fear or the temptation.

His lips felt cool as they brushed against her own. He gently pulled on her wrist, urging her to step closer to him. Her eyes slid close as she pressed up against him. She felt his free hand gently come to a rest behind her neck as he attempted to make the kiss into something more. She slowly placed her right hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat rapidly under his shirt. Thoughts that she had long ago locked away filtered to mind. Thoughts of dark hair, dark eyes, a stubborn attitude and a symbol of a clan that had long ago been forgotten.

_"...Sasuke.."_

Sakura quickly pushed away, lowering her head in shame as she backed away from the man that stood shocked, even possibly hurt before her.

"I'm sorry, Sai. I..." The air seemed to build an unbearable tension between the two of them. The tears started to build, but she refused to cry in front of him. "I have to go." Without giving Sai another glance she quickly headed off to her intended destination. She had to get away and think about what had just about happened. If she could get to Tsunade perhaps she could convince the older woman to assign her a mission.

She rushed across the rooftops, glancing briefly at the people that mingled their daily lives below her. How she would imagine on cold lonely nights what her life would have been like if it were more normal. To be a young woman in training. Perhaps she would have been a doctor since she had a knack at healing. The thought of never have gone to the ninja academy, never becoming a member of team seven, nor meeting anyone else for that matter seemed almost pleasing at times. Things would have been differently, she wouldn't have been there to be their weakest link during times of need. Without her influence their lives would have been differently as well and perhaps her two former teammates would be alive to this day.

Upon finally reaching her destination she landed swiftly and quietly at the doors to the Hokage Tower. She nodded briefly at the guards as she entered and began to climb the long spiraling stairs to her mentors office. It was upon reaching the doors that she felt a familiar presence behind her. Had he followed her? Sakura turned to face Sai. Her heart felt as though it was going to climb out of her throat.

"Sai, what are you..."

"I was summoned to have a audience with the Hokage."

His demeanor had changed in the few short minutes that they had been apart. He was as uptight as the first time that she had meet him, and she knew that she had hurt him.

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"Because you didn't exactly give me a chance now did you, ugly.

She clenched her hands in anger, damn him. She was about to retort back when the doors opened and Shizune stood before the two of them.

"Good your here, Tsunade-sama has been asking for the both of you. Hurry."

Forgetting about Sai, Sakura moved quickly into Tsunade's office. She could see the Hokage standing behind her desk bent over a scroll, a code translator stood quietly by the older womans side. She could see her mentor's hands grasped the paper tightly, crinkling it as she stood straight and looked at them.

"Sakura, Sai, thank you for coming so quickly. I have a mission for you both."

Sakura could feel her heart stop. _"Both!" _She was hoping to clear her head, now she was going to be stuck with the one person that she needed to get away from at the moment. "Tsunade-sama..."

"Sakura, this is of importance to me." Tsunade cut her off. The older woman rolled the scroll up then held it to her chest. "The two of you need to leave as soon as possible."

"What is it that you require of us, Hokage-sama" Sakura glanced over at Sai as he spoke. He had one of the most serious looks on his face that she had ever seen before.

"You are to travel as quickly as you can to water country. There you will meet up and escort back two rogue ninja. You will need to be on the highest alert around these two, use any force possible if the situation calls upon it. You will likely face confrontations, but no matter at what cost these two are to be returned. They have caused much trouble for this village. I will have the rest of the details drawn up and ready for your departure. You can pick up your orders at the check station when you leave. You are dismissed."

"Be ready in an half hour." Sai spoke before vanishing in a plume of smoke.

Sakura turned on her heal, ready to exit when Tsunade stopped her.

"Sakura... I need you to keep an open mind, and ear. Be careful to judge. And most of all, don't let your emotions get to you while you are out there."

She let her mentors words sink in, not understanding exactly what she meant by it but offered the older woman a nod in response. What exactly was written in that scroll that had Tsunade acting so strangely, did it have anything to do with the mission she and Sai were both being sent on? She quickly headed home to pack her supplies, taking note that it would be cold in water country this time of the year. The journey would take a few days if they were not to take rest for too long. She hoped that things went smoothly and these rogue ninja wouldn't be any hassle then she could take all the time she needed to think things over.

Once she was packed she quickly grabbed her pack and headed toward the front gate. Once she arrived there she was surprised to see Sai waiting patiently by the check station. He handed her one of two scrolls he had in his hands and proceeded out the gate. Sakura stared at the scroll in her hand then at Sai's back. He hadn't even said one word to her, perhaps they could get through this mission with out any complications between the two of them.

"Hey, Ugly! Are you coming or not?"

She thought too soon... Sakura clenched the scroll tightly in her hand before shoving it in her weapons pouch. She glared at the dark haired man that was staring at her a few feet away before finally moving to catch up to him.

"Look, lets just get the mission done and I promise you, Sai, when we get back we can talk about things."

"Who said I was even interested anymore."

Sakura growled in frustration and grabbed Sai by the shirt and gave him a good shake for measure. "Can you please, for once in your life just stop it with the insults. We have to work together for the next week Let's just keep things the way that it always has been so we can both get through this."

"Are you done yet?" Sai glared at her smacking her hand away. "You're wasting time you ruthless bitch..."

Sakura reeled her hand back ready to lay one on him when she suddenly stopped herself. Had she just caught a hint of amusement in her companions eye? Suddenly it dawned on her, did he consider this foreplay? Sai always had a weird way of showing affection toward people, he was never straightforward about anything. It is either he picked up his interaction skills with others by watching how individuals react toward others, or he picked it up from some damn book. She was so wound up in that thought that she hadn't taken notice that he now had a slightly upturned corner of his mouth on the left side until he pointed out that she was staring.

"Let's just get this over with." She said with a huff and pushed past him, springing to the treetops. No matter what she couldn't allow things to get any worse then what they were now. She had to make sure the mission was done as quickly and flawlessly as possible. There was no telling what awaited ahead of them and if the two of them were bickering it could cost them their lives. Besides they both needed to be on top of things, prepared to take any action that would be required when meeting up with the ninja they were supposed to escort back.

Who were they? What village were they from, and why did Tsunade request them to be brought back to Konoha?


End file.
